“I like maths, and I like outer space. And I also like being on my own”
One of the most successful plays of 2012 (and indeed my personal fourth-best
play of the year) was the National Theatre’s adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time so it was little surprise to hear that it would
transfer into the West End, albeit a little belatedly. So from the immersive
in-the-round staging of the Cottesloe, it has now graduated to the much larger proscenium
of the Apollo but where one might argue it has lost a little something of what
made it so intimately special first time round, the transfer expands the
physical and visual language of Marianne Elliott’s production to great effect
to create something even more theatrical.
Mark Haddon’s novel was inescapable as it rose to cult status and it is
impressive that Simon Stephens’ adaptation manages to create something new,
albeit entirely recognisable, out of the story. I still remain unconvinced by
the touch of meta-business of the characters putting on a play of the story
that is largely narrated by Niamh Cusack’s achingly kind Siobhan, but otherwise
it is a sensitive and witty re-telling of the tale of Christopher Boone, a
teenager who sees the world in an entirely different way to many of us and who
is swept up in a personal odyssey spearheaded by his discovery of the body of
his neighbour’s dog with a garden fork through him.
The distinctiveness of Christopher’s vision is captured with incredible
invention in Bunny Christie’s design, a sensory experience like no other in
trying to portray something of the synaptic jumps that his brain makes. And
matching the visual ingenuity is Frantic Assembly’s choreography (Scott Graham
and Steven Hoggett) which tries to make sense of the difficulties he faces in
trying to establish physical relationships, the touch of other people being
something he avoids at all cost. Both of these aspects have been exploded
beautifully into the larger space of the West End theatre, with breath-taking
moments aplenty.
And leading the cast, with a performance that has already won
a fosterIAN Best Actor award, is Luke Treadaway doing some simply extraordinary work. There’s
never any hint of mockery or complacency in the detailed portrayal of a
condition which is never specified (although commonly regarded to be Asperger’s)
and he is magnetically, heartbreakingly, watchable with his teenage
determination to solve the mysteries in his life. Nicola Walker and Paul Ritter
have been replaced by Holly Aird and Seán Gleeson as his parents, struggling to
always find the best way through with a son they can’t even hug and though I
missed Walker’s raw desperation, Aird’s greater warmth was a nice new take on
the character.
The rest of the ensemble rotate through a large number of supporting
roles with an effortless ease – Sophie Duval nails several comic characters,
Nick Sidi impresses across the board and Tilly Tremayne covers the role
previously played by Una Stubbs – and Niamh Cusack,
another fosterIAN award winner, is excellent once again. So much of The Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night-time is worth celebrating as some of the best acting, adaptation, design,
direction, use of a puppy on a London stage at the moment, that you would be a
fool not to go and book tickets now before they sell out.
Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes (with interval) (though if you’ve the time,
stay an extra 10 minutes after the end…)
Booking until 31st August, please note Luke Treadaway doesn’t
perform on Mondays and Tuesdays, Johnny Gibbon takes on the role of Christopher
for these performances
Labels: David Mara, Holly Aird, Howard Ward, Luke Treadaway, Mark Haddon, Matthew Barker, Niamh Cusack, Nick Sidi, NT, Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty, Seán Gleeson, Simon Stephens, Sophie Duval, Tilly Tremayne